The Painted Lady arriving this August

It's both exciting and terrifying to think that in just five months my next book will be out. Currently slated for an August release, THE PAINTED LADY, published by the wonderful Winter Goose Publishing, is an adult novel that delves into many different genres. Equal parts love story, mystery, tragedy, thriller, and urban fantasy, the story is also inspirational one, full of discovering new hope for a damaged soul.

Recently I put a few hints regarding THE PAINTED LADY out via Twitter, mostly that it'll be out in August and that the story is more adult-themed. My wife thought I should've dropped some bigger clues (what can I say, 140 characters is very limiting), and so I've decided to include a full plot summary along with this blog:

Even the strangest things happen for a reason.

Miles Greene once spent his days creating beautiful works of cinematic art, all the while treasuring the deepening love for his wife, Stephanie. But now his days are filled drudging through the mundane of listening to the uneasy peace of a quiet neighborhood and flipping between mindless daytime talk shows. A recent widow, Miles's once prominent existence has been reduced to meekly hiding away in his ground floor apartment, leaving his once successful art career, and any determination to carry him beyond existing on a day to day basis, to neglect.

Then, with the sudden appearance of an unusual woman living in the upstairs apartment, Miles learns that he is no longer in control of his destiny as forces beyond his control become the catalyst, an influence acting without any choice or consent to turn his life around. Everything is about to change.

A new path unfolds in front of Miles, a path that may offer redemption at its end, but a path that also promises a confrontation with the past, including coming face to face with a previously unseen evil, as well as coming to terms with a demon hiding within Miles himself - a burden of guilt burrowed so deep it goes back years before his wife's death.

Because I love to have a hand in everything regarding my work (it's not a control thing as it is gaining knowledge and discovering what works best for representing the story), I started creating some concept book covers for LADY. While this isn't a new thing (I did this with SEEING too, and funny enough the design my publisher offered for the book was both way better than what I thought I wanted and better than anything I could design) I usually don't put these concept designs online. However, for THE PAINTED LADY, I wanted to generate some buzz and get some feedback. Up on my Instagram are three designs for the book's cover art - I've also posted them below, side by side for comparison. If you have a favorite, leave a comment or give a Like. I can't make any promises that any part of the designs featured will find their way onto the actual book's cover, that decision lies with my publisher and those on their team responsible for design, but I will say that they were impressed enough with my concepts that, well, anything is indeed possible.

Concept cover arts

More news and announcements on THE PAINTED LADY are coming! Stay tuned.